Silent Witness
by Kylie Anderson
Summary: When the only witness to a kidnapping is a sixteen year old Deaf girl, will the C.S.I's have enough evidence to believe her...or is she just crying wolf? A dangerous plot unfolds...
1. Melissa's Claim

Silent Witness

Chapter 1

Melissa's Claim

Note: Caps American Sign Language

A young girl was standing in front of the C.S.I building in frantic dismay. "Help! Can someone please help me? Anyone! Please, just help me!" The girl shouted.

Gil Grissom stood behind the girl. "What's wrong?" Grissom asked.

The girl seemly ignored him. "Help!" She shouted again.

Grissom tapped her shoulder and she jumped. She looked at him. "Sorry, I'm Deaf and I couldn't read your lips. Can you help me?" The girl asked.

Grissom signed, YES. The girl smiled. "My name is Melissa Grant. I need to talk to a police officer or someone like that." Melissa said shortly.

Grissom nodded. I KNOW POLICE, he signed, FOLLOW ME. Melissa followed him. NAME GIL GRISSOM, Grissom sighed.

Grissom found Brass. "I've got a Deaf girl claiming she needs to talk to the police and she ended up here." Grissom said quickly.

"What's wrong?" Brass asked.

"I was in the park walking my service dog Sam. It was late last night and I saw a man pushing another man into a car. The kidnapper kept turning his head, but I could read 'time' and 'kill'. I got scared and ran home. I told my mother and she said to come see you." Melissa explained.

Brass nodded. "And who are you?" Brass asked.

"My name is Melissa Grant. My friends call me Missy. I am sixteen. I live on 4567 Westside Street Las Vegas. My phone number is 345-8945." Melissa repeated.

"Okay, what park were you at?" Brass asked.

"I was at Lincoln Park by the swing set. I had my blackberry so I was able to type in the license plate. It's 3875 GQ 654 EM. The car was an SUV. It was too dark to tell the color." Melissa informed.

THANK YOU, Grissom signed. "You don't have to sign to me. My mother doesn't like it. She says I need to get used to lip reading." Melissa said shortly.

Grissom nodded. "I see. Can you tell us anything else?" Grissom asked.

Melissa fumbled with her pocket and pulled out a driver's license with a tissue. "I found it after the men left. I picked it up with a tissue to preserve any fingerprints. I think the driver's license was the victim's, but I couldn't tell." Melissa reported.

"That's very good detective work." Grissom noted.

Grissom took the tissue from her. "Thank you, I hope to become a C.S.I although I'm not sure if my deafness would be a factor in employment." Melissa said quietly.

"I'm a C.S.I." Grissom told her.

Melissa nodded. "I'll go run a check on this license plate and see if there's a missing person's report for Todd Mutter." Brass said turning his head and leaving.

Melissa looked confused. "What did he say? He turned his head." Melissa told Grissom.

"He said he check out the leads. See if there's a missing person's report on Todd Mutter and the license plate." Grissom said facing her.

"How did you learn sign language?" Melissa asked.

"My mother was Deaf." Grissom explained.

Melissa smiled. "So, what do you want me to do? Should I just go home?" Melissa asked.

Grissom nodded. "Yeah, I've got your phone number if we need you." Grissom said lightly. "What's your blackberry number?"

Melissa told him and he thanked her. "Thank you Mr. Grissom," Melissa said going outside.

Grissom turned to see Brass. "So, what's the story?" Grissom asked.

"There isn't a missing person's report for Todd Mutter and there wasn't any car with that license plate in Nevada with that number or in the country." Brass said.

Grissom searched his expression. "You don't look surprised." Grissom noted.

Brass shifted his weight from one foot to the other. "She said she wanted to be a crime scene investigation. So, what if she was making the whole thing up so she could work with us?" Brass said quietly.

"Where'd she get the driver's license then?" Grissom demanded.

Brass shrugged his shoulders. "How am I supposed to know? Maybe she found it on the ground."

"I think she may be telling the truth. I'm going to check it out." Grissom said leaving for the lab.

Grissom walked into the lab and handed out assignments. "Warrick and Nick are both out today, so I'm going to ask the both of you to help me on a kidnapping." Grissom said to Sara and Catherine.

"Who reported it? What do we know?" Sara said quickly.

"A sixteen year old girl named Melissa Grant. She came here signing quickly for help." Grissom explained.

Catherine looked confused. "What do you mean signing?" Catherine asked looking up from folder.

"She's Deaf." Grissom told them.

Sara nodded. "Alright, so what did she see?" Sara asked.

Grissom explained. "So, Todd Mutter isn't reported missing and there isn't a car in the country with that license?" Catherine asked.

Grissom nodded. "I think she may be telling the truth." Grissom said softly.

"Grissom, it's a shot in the dark. We have no evidence to look into it further." Sara said siding with Catherine.

"We're going to look into it anyway," Grissom snapped.

Catherine shook her head. "Could it be because…?" Catherine began.

"It has nothing to do with me or my family!" Grissom said angrily.

Catherine sat down. Grissom's phone rang. "Grissom," Grissom snapped.

Grissom smiled. "Thank you," Grissom said hanging up.

"Who was that?" Sara asked.

"That was a police officer who checked out Todd Mutter's house. There wasn't anyone there and there was a note." Grissom said quickly.

"So Melissa's claim was right?" Sara asked.

"Yes," Grissom said in a much better mood.


	2. Twists and Turns

Chapter 2

Twists and Turns

Grissom, Sara and Catherine drove over to Todd Mutters house. Grissom saw that the note was left on the kitchen table and it simple read, 'we've got him now give us her.'

Sara looked around. "There are no signs of breaking and entering and no signs of a struggle suggesting that he was really kidnapped in Lincoln Park." Sara said.

"This note was meant for someone and it's written so someone could read it and not know what it meant." Grissom said rereading the note.

Catherine walked into the room and read it. "Did Todd Mutter have a daughter or son?" Catherine asked.

"I don't know. Why?" Grissom asked.

"It's easy to tell. Todd Mutter was divorced. If he had a child and his wife dropped the child off at the house for weekly visits and saw this, then the wife would freak. She would freak because the person had kidnapped her ex to get to her child. The wife would be frightened more than anything." Catherine explained.

"And you know this how?" Grissom asked.

Catherine shook her head. "I don't know. It's just a mother talking." Catherine said looking around.

Brass walked in after he got off the phone. "Todd Mutter was married to Elaine Mutter. Elaine got a divorce from Todd when their daughter was only two. Elaine remarried to Logan Grant. You'll never believe who the daughter is," Brass said quickly.

"Who?" Sara asked.

"Melissa Grant," Brass answered quickly.

Grissom raised an eyebrow. "Sara and Catherine, you stay here and look around for anything that can help us. I'm going to have another talk with Melissa." Grissom said leaving.

At the police station, Melissa was waiting with a golden retriever who Grissom guessed was Sam. Brass sat down and Grissom sat next to him. "So, did you know that Todd Mutter is your father?" Grissom asked.

Melissa nodded. "Yes, but I haven't seen him since I was two." Melissa answered.

"Well that blows Catherine's theory. Did you know that the man's driver's license was your father's?" Grissom asked.

Melissa looked surprised. "No, I just picked it up and brought it to you." Melissa replied.

"Does anyone see your father?" Grissom asked.

"How am I supposed to know? I haven't seen or talked to him since I was two." Melissa asked getting annoyed.

"I was just asking," Grissom said lightly.

"'As for me, all I know is that I know nothing.'" Melissa quoted.

"Socrates, very good, but are you sure there's nothing to tell us?" Grissom asked.

"I'm sure." Melissa said shortly.

THANK YOU, Grissom signed.

Melissa nodded and left. "So, what do you think? Who's after who?" Brass asked.

"First of all, it's who's after whom? Second of all, I don't know…yet." Grissom answered.

"My oh my, what an odd plot. It's one of twists and turns and…life." Brass said shortly.

Grissom looked over at him. "Hey, I'm not just another pretty face." Brass said lightly.


	3. Dead Body and Letter equals run away?

Chapter 3

Dead Body and Letter equals run away?

Grissom sat in the evidence lab staring at a few photos and the note. Grissom realized something he had missed. Sara walked into the lab. "Hey Sara, if you were want to kidnap a Deaf girl, why would you kidnap the father that she never met?" Grissom asked.

"Hmm…if I read the note and I loved the father and the girl, I would be scared." Sara answered.

"Exactly! Now, if Melissa's mother doesn't go into the house, then who goes into the house that knows the father and Melissa?" Grissom asked.

Catherine ran into the room. "Melissa's missing; she's nowhere to be found. Her mother was found stabbed to death in the bedroom. Melissa's stepfather is dead in the hall." Catherine told them.

Grissom shook his head. "Now we've lost our two other suspects. Sara, you go process the scene. Catherine, I need you to go as well, but look for any clues as to where Melissa might be. I'll keep looking here for anything that connects the girl and father." Grissom said looking at the photos again.

Sara went to go process the scene and Catherine looked for any clues to the whereabouts to Melissa.

Grissom sat thinking. Greg ran into the room. "Grissom, I think the note was meant for Judy Stoves." Greg said running into the room.

Grissom looked up. "What?" Grissom asked.

"Judy Stoves was Todd Mutter's fiancé. Judy was also Elaine's best friend and she saw a lot of Melissa. So, Todd is kidnapped to get to Melissa. Why they want Melissa is beyond me, but hey, I did a good job. Right?" Greg asked.

Grissom nodded. "A wonderful job," Grissom muttered leaving the room.

Greg smiled. "Pay raise…" Greg suggested, but Grissom was already gone.

Greg sat down. "I wanted to help and I did, but I don't get anything out of it. Go figure." Greg muttered.

----

Grissom saw that Sara and Catherine were still at Todd Mutter's house. Grissom explained Greg's findings. "So, who took Melissa? Who killed Melissa's parents? Who kidnapped Todd? And why did they leave Judy a note?" Catherine asked.

"That's what we have to find out. Sara, take the note back to the lab and see if you can get any fingerprints off of it. Catherine and I will stay here and look for anything else." Grissom ordered looking around.

Sara nodded and went back to the lab. Grissom looked at Catherine. "What?" Catherine asked.

Grissom's phone rang. "Grissom," Grissom answered.

"I see. Go over to Judy's house with a search warrant. Catherine and I will be there in a sec. Thanks Sara," Grissom said hanging up.

"What was that about?" Catherine asked.

"Judy's fingerprints were all over the paper," Grissom answered.

"So? It confirms that she was supposed to get the letter." Catherine said.

"Yes, but why didn't she call the police?" Grissom asked.

Catherine smiled. "So you think she left the note there for herself to throw us off of her track?" Catherine asked going outside to her car.

"Exactly," Grissom answered smiling.

Grissom and Catherine arrived at Judy's house in a matter of minutes. Sara was already there. "We've got a D.B that matches Todd Mutter's description." Sara informed them.

Grissom, Catherine and Sara walked into the hallway and saw Todd Mutter stabbed in the back several times. "Where's Judy?" Grissom asked not taking his eyes away from the body.

"She quit work, cancelled out all of her cards and she took out all of the money in her bank account yesterday." Sara replied.

Grissom looked grim. "She's running away with Melissa. Most cases like these don't get solved." Grissom said sadly.

"Yeah, the keyword is 'most', but this one will be different. Judy's bound to slip up." Catherine said looking around.

Sara picked up a blank piece of paper lying in an empty room with a lock on it. Catherine came over. "Hmm….Melissa said she wanted to be a C.S.I, right?" Catherine asked.

"Yes," Grissom answered.

"Well, all kids carry around an invisible pen. You can write messages on a piece of paper and no one could read what it said unless you take a black light to it. Lindsay has one." Catherine explained smiling.

Catherine opened her purse and found a mini keychain that had a black light on it. "Of course, the mother always has a secret one for when she finds blank pieces of paper." Catherine said turning it on.

It revealed a letter.

_Judy Stoves is the one. She told me her whole plan. She kidnapped Todd Mutter. She left a note saying they had him and they were coming for me and the letter was meant for her. She was trying to throw the C.S.I's off her track. She then told me she killed mom and Mr. Grant (my stepfather). When I was walking in the park, she kidnapped me and locked me in this room. She made me watch as she killed my father. I then was locked in this room until she said we were going far away. Judy plans to go to California under the name Jessica Fent. My 'name' is to be Lisa Fent her daughter. The reason Mr. Grissom couldn't find a license plate match is because she's making fake license plates. I'm going to be leaving my fingerprints anywhere I can. I was fingerprinted in second grade by the Nevada State Police. If you find blank pieces of paper, look for this symbol _

_Please find me!_

_-Melissa _

Grissom was silent. "Okay, we need to alert the California State Police." Grissom instructed.

Brass came into the room. "Already done," Brass said smiling, "Oh and I found a paper trail made of torn tiny pieces of paper."

Brass showed them how it went out the back door and into an empty garage. "The trail stops because she must have gotten into the car." Sara thought aloud.

Catherine turned on her black light. "All the pieces of paper were marked with the symbol." Catherine said.

Sara bent down. "There's a drop of blood. And another and another, Melissa's using a blood trail now because if she throws paper out the window, it will blow away." Sara said following it.

Sara made it half way down the street and then she sighed. "The blood stops. Either Melissa stopped bleeding or Judy closed the window on her." Sara said sighing.

"So, now we have nothing?" Grissom asked.

Brass bent down on the street. "No, we have a huge something." Brass said looking up.


	4. Arrest

Chapter 4

Arrest

Grissom walked over and bent down. "You see how there's a slight drag mark?" Brass asked.

Grissom nodded. "Like a piece of metal that was tied around the axel so it drags and makes a mark," Grissom thought.

"Or maybe it was something broken on the car," Sara suggested.

"Either way, Judy is going to have to take it to a repair shop soon." Grissom said smiling.

"I'll put out a notice for all repair shops. If they get a black SUV brought in by a woman or a Deaf girl, let us know." Brass said.

"Wait, just say black SUV. Judy could have a man bring it in for her." Catherine told him.

Brass nodded and called. Brass was called back in a matter of minutes. After a minute or two, Brass hung up. "We're going to Smith's Repair Shop in Las Vegas," Brass said quickly.

At the repair shop, the manager showed them in. "We got a black SUV brought in by a woman. She had brown hair, brown eyes and was a real hottie. Anyway, there was a bike handle bar tied underneath her car so all I had to do was undo it. Since she was cute and I didn't have to do much, I didn't charge her. She said her name was Judy at first and then said it was Jessica." The man said lightly.

"Did a Deaf girl with blonde hair and blue eyes come in as well?" Grissom asked.

"Yes, she was a hottie too. She was only 16. Oh and she asked me to give you this," The manger said taking out a piece of paper.

It was blank until Catherine put the black light on it.

_We're going to Rio Linda California. _

"Was there anything else?" Grissom asked.

"Nope," The manger said.

"Thank you," Brass said lightly.

Catherine got in her car first and drove down the highway on the way to Rio Linda. She saw a black SUV with a flat tire. Catherine pulled over. A blonde haired girl ran over to Catherine. Catherine pulled out her gun. "Judy Stoves, come out with your hands raised," Catherine ordered.

Judy came out with a gun. "Put down the gun," Catherine ordered.

Brass, Grissom and Sara all stopped and pulled out their guns. "Put down the gun," Brass repeated.

Judy put down the gun. "I killed Elaine Grant, Logan Grant and Todd Mutter. I kidnapped Melissa Grant. Do you want to know why? I did it because Elaine, Logan and Todd never paid much attention to poor Melissa." Judy said laughing.

"You don't know what you're talking about Judy! My parents were always there for me!" Melissa said angrily.

Brass arrested Judy Stoves for the murder of three people and the kidnapping of two people.

Melissa watched as Judy was put in a patrol car.


	5. Trail of Evidence

Chapter 5

Trail of Evidence

Brass and Grissom drove Melissa back to the lab where they offered her something to eat. "No thank you. I'm well fed. Where's Sam?" Melissa asked.

"Animal patrol picked him up, but we'll get him back to you soon." Brass said.

A woman walked in. "Hello Melissa, my name is Diane Stew. I'm from the department of human services. As you are a minor…" Diane began.

"As I am a minor with deceased parents and no other family during an interrogation an official from the department must be present. After the interrogation, I will be brought to a state orphanage where I most likely will remain until I am eighteen because no one would want a sixteen year old Deaf girl." Melissa finished for her.

Diane looked uncomfortable. "Well…yes. Should we begin the interrogation?" Diane asked.

Grissom nodded. "Melissa, could you please tell us what happened?" Grissom asked quietly.

Melissa nodded. "I was at home and then a woman came into my bedroom with blood all over her. I saw my mother dead as well as my stepfather. I couldn't find Sam. I realized that the woman was Judy Stoves, a lady my mother was always around. Judy forced me into her car and locked the doors. At her house I saw a man who identified himself as Todd Mutter. I had to watch as Judy stabbed Todd in the back four times. Todd fell to the floor dead. I was then put in the empty room. I had my purse. In my purse, I had kept an invisible writing pen and a piece of paper along with make-up and tape to lift fingerprints if I needed to one day. I wrote the letter explaining what I knew and then Judy went out. She left my door unlocked, so I walked into the garage and used a bike handle bar to tie it around the axel of the car making a mark so the C.S.I's could follow it in case my paper trail didn't work. I also figured that Judy would hear something and have to pull over giving me a chance to run or tell someone. I then hurried back into my room and when Judy took me to the car, I left a paper trail. I had accidentally cut my arm on a piece of plastic and it bled out the window. When we were at the repair shop, I would have run, but Judy was watching me carefully. The guy called me a cutie so I asked him for a favor. He was happy to oblige. He cut a slit in Judy's tire and gave you the note. Judy's tire blew on the road and she was stuck. I knew the C.S.I's wouldn't be far behind, so all I did was stall for time." Melissa said lightly.

"It was very good detective work. If you hadn't left a trail of evidence, Judy would have gotten away with it." Brass said smiling.

Melissa nodded. "Well, it was nice meeting the both of you. If you don't have any more questions, I guess I'll head over to a prison." Melissa said smiling.

"It's not that bad," Diane said lightly.

"I just have one more question," Grissom said getting her attention, "Do you plan on working in Las Vegas?"

Melissa nodded. "I hope to one day work here." Melissa answered.

"Are you interested in working nights?" Grissom asked.

"Well, yes. Why?" Melissa asked.

"I'm the supervisor for nightshifts and I would like to see you on our team in about six years, right? You're sixteen and you graduate when you're eighteen and then four years of college, so six years." Grissom explained.

"Yes," Melissa said smiling. "I'll see you in six years."

"Same here," Grissom answered.

Diane and Melissa left. "You know she's going to be one hell of a C.S.I." Brass said to Grissom.

"I know," Grissom answered smiling.

**The End**

Disclaimer: I do not own C.S.I

A/N- I really hope you like this 'short' story. I really liked writing it. If you like this story, check out my other stories! If you'd like me to do a sequel for when Melissa's a C.S.I, tell me. I'm not to sure if I'll do one yet, so give me some input.

Kylie Anderson


End file.
